Essaie sur la métamorphose de Kafka

Publié le 5 mars 2013 il y a 11A par Anonyme - Fin › 7 mars 2013 dans 11A
5

Sujet du devoir

In Kafka's "The Metamorphosis", Gregor Samsa's condition changes the lives of his family, and their response affects him. What are the 3 ways that Samsa family members deal with Gregor's situation? These may be actions they take. Explain how each of these responses affects Gregor's life.

Où j'en suis dans mon devoir

Hélèna Le Rochais
FCWR 161 Professor Goldman
Essay #1.1
02.21.13

Gregor’s metamorphosis

“The Metamorphosis” is a novella by Franck Kafka, published in 1915, depicts Gregor Samsa who was a traveling salesman, and who worked hard to handle his family. He woke up in a morning, and found himself transformed into a monstrous vermin. He believed it was a dream, but finally realized that it was reality “What’s happened to me? he thought. It was no dream” (page 688). His family had to deal with Gregor’s situation because they lived with him in the same house. Gregor’s parents changed their relation with their son when he metamorphosed. He was completely rejected, and affected to be excluded. Gregor had difficulty to live with this fact. Each member of Gregor’s family played a role because one by one they turned their backs on him. Gregor’s rejection affected him because he was locked in his room, his family was afraid of him, and his father hit him.

Gregor was in a deplorable situation. His family imprisoned him into his room. Gregor’s “captivity” (page 701) was hard to handle. Indeed, when his family understood that Gregor had metamorphosed, they decided to lock him in his room. His family decided to accommodate his room to his new life as an insect “he really wanted his warm room, with its comfortable old family furniture, but it was transformed into a cave” (page 706). They moved all the furniture of its room, and he could not recognize his old and cozy room as before. Moreover, he could not go anymore to the rest of the house. He had the obligation to stay in his room. Indeed, the family decided to take this decision because his family feared him, and they did not wanted to scare other people. Gregor was locked as in prison. Communication between his family and him was inexistent “Gregor realized the lack of all direct human exchange” (page 705). He had a boring life in the middle of his family. Gregor was in autarky in his room, where nobody came to see him, neither talked to him. We have the feeling that the parents thought he was dead before he died. His mother, Mrs. Samsa did not try to even speak to her son. She was in denial and thought that he would return as he was before. She did not want to handle the situation, and she did not want to face reality. His sister brought him food as if he was an animal, as a “complete stranger” (page699). She did not even recognize him. She did not act like a sister, but considered him as a scary insect. Gregor is a lonely boy, in lack of love, and attention. His father is cold and heartlessness with him. The mother and his sister showed sometimes pity and regret about Gregor’s incarceration. Indeed, they were determinate to make a comfortable “cave” for him. It shows that they treated him as if he was abnormal. This captivity and this rejection slowly killed him emotionally.

Gregor’s rejection also affected him because his family was afraid of him. “During the first two weeks his parents could not bring themselves to come in to him” (page 704). When the family discovered that Gregor metamorphosed, they decided to avoid him. They did not saw him for weeks because they were afraid of his transformation. When they saw Gregor for the first time, they were terrified. The father “pressed his hand against his open mouth and slowly staggering back” (page 695). The father was upset and frightened, he “clenched his fist with a menacing air, as if he wanted to knock Gregor back into his room”. Mr Samsa treated Gregor as a creature rather than his son. When the mother first saw Gregor, she cried out “Oh God, Oh God”(page 707). She was so scared that she “collapsed on the floor” (page 695). Mrs. Sasma was in a total incomprehension, and was shocked to see his son as a “vermin” (page 687). Moreover, when his sister brought him food, she showed fear. Gregor understood that she was scary and hide himself under the bed to protect her “she quickly left the room and even turned the key in the lock outside” (page 700). Gregor’s sister preferred to hide the truth from her than to face reality by seeing him. She only came for a “brief time” (page 700) even if he was starving. Even if she was nice to feed him, she showed cruelty. Gregor understood that even if he did not ate the food she brought to him; the sister did not care about him so much. Gregor’s parents were afraid of its body and of the transformation. “Both father and mother waited outside of Gregor’s room while his sister was cleaning up inside” (page 704). They did not have any condolence for him. His family did not care to care about him, and to know if he was healthy or happy. Gregor was really sad about their reaction and “fell down with a small cry upon his many little legs” (page 696). Gregor was wounded by all those mental injuries. Gregor’s family abandoned him. Gregor had a lack of love and consideration of his family.

Gregor was affected by the fact that his father hit him. His father totally excluded him when he began to hit his son. Gregor’s father “was determined to bombard him”(page 709), and threw him apples “one thrown directly afterwards actually penetrated into Gregor’s back”(page 709). Mr. Samsa was really upset about the situation. He was angry about the fact that Gregor did not show any signs of evolution. Gregor felt rejected from his family. At the end, he was treated as a monster, as somebody unknown. He felt a part of his family. Gregor’s family finally decided that they “must to get rid of it” (page 716) before he died. Gregor died from a broken heart, loneliness and violence.

Gregor’s family responded negatively to his metamorphosis. They had to deal with his transformation. It affected Gregor because he was in captivity in his room, his family was scared of him, and his father beats him. These responses caused Gregor’s death. This story teach us that people can suffer physically and psychologically of exclusion and rejection. People have to live their “metamorphosis” as they want to express their own personality on their own way.





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